Claiming Housing Benefit or Universal Credit housing element

You could get Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit if you need help to pay your rent.

These can pay for all or part of your rent. How much you can get depends on your income and circumstances.

If you’re a homeowner, check what you can do if you have difficulty paying your mortgage.

Who can claim

You can claim if you’re unemployed or on a low income.

You can be renting from a private landlord, the local council or a housing association.

Only certain people can make a new application for Housing Benefit. Otherwise, you must claim Universal Credit.

Claiming Universal Credit housing element

This is sometimes called housing costs.

Apply for Universal Credit on GOV.UK.

Claiming Housing Benefit

You can only apply for Housing Benefit if you're either:

  • state pension age
  • living in sheltered, supported, or temporary housing

You apply through your local council. 

Check what you’re entitled to

The amount you can get will depend on your circumstances. These include:

  • how much your rent is
  • how many people live with you
  • your household's income – including benefits, pensions and savings
  • your circumstances – such as the age of people in your home, or if someone is disabled
  • who you rent from – such as private landlord or the local council

The amount you’ll get can cover some service charges. It will not cover charges for heating, hot water, lighting, laundry or cooking.

Check how much you could be entitled to using the turn2us benefits calculator.

Local Housing Allowance if you rent from a private landlord

If you rent from a private landlord, the maximum amount you can get is determined by the Local Housing Allowance (LHA).

The LHA rate depends on:

  • the council area you live in
  • the number of bedrooms you qualify for

Checking your Local Housing Allowance rate

To check which LHA rate you qualify for, you can:

If you need advice on your LHA rate, you can get help with benefits.

If your entitlement does not cover all your rent

In some cases, the benefit amount will not cover all your rent.

For example:

  • if you’re affected by the benefit cap
  • if you have one or more ‘spare’ rooms in a council or housing association home – sometimes called the bedroom tax
  • if the LHA rate does not cover the full amount of rent in a private let

In these cases, you can apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment. 

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